Archive for June, 2010

Once upon a time, some fans who were disappointed with the final game of the King’s Quest series (and really, who wasn’t) decided to produce their own final game under the name of Phoenix Online Studios to provide some closure and spur interest in the adventure genre. They got a cease-and-desist order from then King’s Quest copyright holder Vivendi Games, Inc, but worked out a deal for a fan license so that the game could be released. Then Vivendi merged with Activision, who subsequently revoked the agreement made by Vivendi, effectively killing off the game once again. Until this week, that is, when common sense seems to have prevailed, and Activision gave the developers a non-commercial license to release The Silver Lining. I guess the story will have a silver lining after all.

It’s easy to be cynical and say “what’s Activision’s angle?” Activision hasn’t made many friends lately. But I’d rather just say HOORAY! The first chapter of the first episode of The Silver Lining is scheduled to be released July 10th, with the rest released later in 2010.

I recently listened to Doctor Who: Wreck of the Titan, which put me in the mood for some Jules Verne action. The Disney Experience has a very nice model of the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which comes with an optional stand if you’d prefer not to hang it. People who think Nemo is a fish need not apply.

As their website states (where you can actually load it), “The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the leading civil liberties group defending your rights in the digital world.” Because we wouldn’t want employees at work to access anything about their digital rights…

Like this:

The hit of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this year was the announcement of Nintendo’s upcoming handheld offering: the Nintendo 3DS. While it looks very similar to the Nintendo DS, it sports an upper screen capable of displaying 3D images to the naked eye without the need for 3D glasses. Gaming skeptics who saw it firsthand were won over by how good the effect is. It also has two outward-facing cameras for taking 3D photos.

Paperkraft.net is all over it this week, releasing a paper model version of the Nintendo 3DS. It might not power on and play games, but it’s definitely 3D.

Note: Modelers should not experience any optical or physical discomfort when building this 3D model. If you do feel any eye or head aches, queasiness, or any other discomfort, you should cease building this model right away. It may be too hardcore for you.

Killzone 3
– Built for 3D from the ground up
– Put on your 3D glasses… big contrast to the Nintendo show a couple of hours ago that made fun of 3D with glasses.
– The 3D effect is lost on the internet stream. We’ll have to rely on user impressions.
– To me, it looks like a good shooter, but generic in the sense that it could be Lost Planet or Resistance in terms of the theme.
– If all I need is normal 3D glasses I “borrowed” from the last 3D movie I saw, I might get it.
– Full compatible with PlayStation Move, but no details as to what that means

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
– Lots of time showing Zelda control. Uses Wii MotionPlus.
– Some control issues. Stage issue or game issue?
– Looks fun. Lots of items to use.
– Not coming out until “next year”

Mario Sports Mix
– The Mario sports franchises have been pretty silent the last few years, so I’m not surprised.

Just Dance 2
– Dance games are the new music game genre this year.
– Doesn’t pick up full body moves like Kinect. But that might mean it’s not as hard.